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Questions to guide your feedback
I’m working on story telling here. What’s the story, or is there one, that comes up for you?
Other Information
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Image Description
Yellowstone. Again. It purely astonishes me that animals spend the winter here. It is a miracle of nature to me. I did learn that water fowl survive the cold water temps they hang out in because they have what’s called thermal counter current circulation (another bennie for having a guide, They know such interesting things!). Which means their arteries & veins spiral around one another in their legs, allowing the warmth of the arterial blood flow to warm the venous flow. This is why their feet & legs can stay warm(er) in the figid waters of winter. Cool, huh?
Technical Details
Sony A7RIII
f/7.1
1/160
ISO 100 @140mm
Specific Feedback
I’m after the story here - what does it say to you?
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
This photograph beautifully captures the biting chill of winter. The break in the ice, with Barrow taking a refreshing dip, infuses the scene with vitality, hinting at the spring to come. The composition, with the water widening in front of Barrow, suggests a pathway to more open water, symbolizing the potential for future thaw and renewal. The contrast, though challenging, plays a crucial role in defining the image, adding depth and emphasizing the stark beauty of the winter landscape. It’s a testament to how even in the coldest moments, there’s a spark of life and a promise of what’s ahead.
Connie, the story I get is one of winter survival, where the diving ducks find what little open water there is and hang out there. I think you’ve caught that well here with the ice and snow above and below and the edge of the ice just in the frame on the right. This also shows how much more cold it takes to get rapidly moving water to freeze over…allowing for birds like this to survive the winter. It’s also good that you got the head turn for the eye to show.
Thank you @Mark_Seaver & @christopher10 . It’s my new 2025 vision to tell stories with my photos, and hopefully evoke responses to those stories from those who view them. I’m starting with photos I’ve taken in the past, and hope to mature into more nuanced work.
Yes, there is a story here. And not always easy to pull it together. I’ll take a slightly different view of this. Could the duck be eyeing the ice as it closes in on it? And that’s it’s run out of room? Speaking of room, the end of the darker water on the right seems too close to the edge of the frame. If there is more room there, I think it would add to the balance of the image. And it would give you a little more negative space around our little hero. Nicely put together.
I guess the same applies to them? I’ll look into this! Thank for the education!